Ja honours Ms Carby

Say the name Ms Barbara Carby in Jamaica and disaster management comes to mind.

Now, her efforts will be rewarded by Jamaica Governor-General Prof. Kenneth Hall on Heroes Day, 15 October, when she receives the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander, reports the Jamaica Gleaner.

Ms Carby

Ms Carby was the face of the Jamaica Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management serving as its director general for a decade. She joined the office in that position.

She will receive the honour for dedicated service in the field of disaster management. Much of the strategies Jamaicans have become familiar with, especially when a hurricane nears, were expounded by Ms Carby.

She left the post and moved to the Cayman Islands to assist with the establishment of its national risk management office. She is director of hazard management.

Ms Carby has always been a pioneer of sorts. She was the first Jamaica woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in geochemistry. She was also awarded the first scholarship to study natural sciences in France by the French government.

She was also elected vice-chair of the UN Scientific and Technical Committee; another first for a Jamaican. She successfully executed the full-scale evacuation exercise for the city of Portmore and an earthquake drill for New Kingston, which involved some 100 businesses.

She is a member of the Geological Society of Jamaica. Her research interests are disaster mitigation, policy development, hazard management and environmental management.

Ms Carby has a love for the environment; of that, there is no doubt. But she is also quite the animal lover. Why else would she spend hours dedicated to obedience training for dogs?

A native of St. Ann, she has spent most of her life in St. Andrew before going off to Cayman. She has been described as a consummate professional with a passion for her work. Now, she’s being giving her just reward.